Grade 4 Week 2

The Grand Canyon and a Very Tall Tale! An ADE Language Arts Lesson Week 2 Author ADE Content Specialists Grade Level 4th grade Duration Five sessions Aligns To Connects To Reading: Social Studies: Strand 1: Reading Process Strand 4: Geography Concept 4: Vocabulary Concept 1: The World in Spatial Terms PO 2. Use context to determine the relevant PO 6. Locate physical and human features meaning of a word. using maps, illustrations, images, or globes: Concept 6: Comprehension Strategies a. physical (i.e., river, lake, mountain range, coast, sea, desert, gulf, bay, PO 6. Use reading strategies (e.g., drawing strait) conclusions, determining cause and effect, making b. human (i.e., equator, four hemispheres, inferences, sequencing) to comprehend text. city, state, country, roads, railroads) PO 7. Locate physical and human features in Strand 2: Comprehending Literary Text Arizona using maps, illustrations, images, or Concept 1: Elements of Literature globes: PO 5. Describe a character’s traits using textual a. physical (e.g.,Grand Canyon, Mogollon evidence (e.g., dialogue, actions, narrations, Rim, Colorado River, Gila River, Salt illustrations). River) b. human (e.g.,Phoenix, Yuma, Strand 3: Comprehending Informational Flagstaff,Tucson, Prescott, Hoover Text Dam, Roosevelt Dam) Concept 1: Expository Text PO 7. Distinguish cause and effect. Science Concept 2: Earth’s Processes and Writing: Systems Strand 1: Writing Process PO 1. Identify the Earth processes that cause Concept 1: Prewriting erosion. Concept 2: Drafting PO 3. Describe the role that water plays in the Concept 3: Revising following processes that alter the Earth’s Concept 4: Editing surface features: Concept 5: Publishing • erosion • deposition Strand 2: Writing Elements • weathering Concept 3: Voice PO 1. Show awareness of the audience through word choice and style. PO 2. Convey a sense of originality, sincerity, liveliness, or humor appropriate to topic and type of writing. Arizona Department of Education 1 Language Arts Grade 4 Week 2 Concept 6: Conventions PO 1. Use capital letters for: a. proper nouns ( i.e., names, days, months) PO 6. Use apostrophes to punctuate: a. contractions b. singular possessive Strand 3: Writing Applications Concept 1: Expressive PO 2. Write in a variety of expressive forms (e.g., poetry, skit) that may employ: a. figurative language c. dialogue d. characterization f. appropriate format Overview Tall tales are a unique part of American folklore. Through their exaggerated characters and story events, you can learn about our country’s rich storytelling history as well as get an interesting perspective on how some of our nation’s natural wonders came about. Purpose In these five sessions, you will use a tall tale of Pecos Bill and an expository passage on the Grand Canyon to support comprehension of literary and expository text, vocabulary development, and to practice writing a tall tale. Materials • Pecos Bill reading passage • Grand Canyon reading passage • Worksheets for the daily sessions • Proofreading chart Objectives Students will: • Read the Pecos Bill tall tale. • Identify fantasy and realism. • Read the Grand Canyon passage. • Identify cause and effect. • Use context to understand multiple-meaning words. • Apply knowledge of silent consonants. • Write a tall tale emphasizing the element of Voice. Arizona Department of Education 2 Language Arts Grade 4 Week 2 Lesson Components Prerequisite skills: The 5 Steps of the Writing Process have been used since Grade 1. Writing Elements have been used since Kindergarten. You should be familiar with these processes. Session 1: Reading Comprehension and Writing 1. Review story and genre vocabulary prior to reading. 2. As a pre-reading and during reading strategy, consider what fantasy is and what is realistic while reading the tall tale, Pecos Bill. 3. After reading the passage, check your comprehension by answering questions about the text. 4. Begin Step 1 of the writing process in prewriting for a tall tale. Emphasis will be on Voice. Session 2: Vocabulary and Writing 1. Increase your vocabulary through a word study of multiple-meaning words. 2. Continue writing a draft of your tall tale. Session 3: Phonics/Decoding and Writing 1. Strengthen your reading skills by examining the use of silent consonants in words and how this applies to your reading comprehension. 2. In Step 3 of the Writing Process, revise your tall tale, considering the use of Voice and humor. Session 4: Grammar and Writing 1. Review verb tenses. Reread the passage, Pecos Bill, to strengthen your knowledge of verb tenses. 2. Proofread your tall tale in Step 4 of the Writing Process. Session 5: Reading Comprehension and Writing 1. Understand how cause and effect is a strategy for better comprehension. 2. Identify cause and effect in the passage, Grand Canyon, and complete a cause and effect chart comparing the creation of the Grand Canyon in the two stories read this week. 3. Create a final copy of your tall tale, practice reading it, and present it to a family member. Assessment There is one assessment for each session that will help you check your understanding before moving on to the next session. Arizona Department of Education 3 Language Arts Grade 4 Week 2 Session 1 – Reading Comprehension and Writing Pecos Bill Vocabulary: Please review these words before you read the passage. These words will help you comprehend the tall tale passage. tale – a story, usually a made-up one humorous – funny frontier – the area beyond where most people live exaggerate (ex-ag-ger-ate) – to tell of something as greater as or larger than it really is tumbling – falling suddenly or helplessly coyote – a small, wolf-like animal howling – the long, wailing cry of a wolf or dog lasso – a rope with a sliding loop at one end that is used to catch cattle cyclone – a storm with strong winds that circle and carry a lot of rain washed-out – tired Skill to use while reading: Fantasy and reality Today you will be reading a tall tale. A tall tale is a humorous story about a character that can do amazing things a normal person can’t do. They have unbelievable strength and have very unusual adventures. These tales began on the American frontier in the 1800s and have been passed down through storytellers. When you read a tall tale, you will read about things that could happen in real life (realistic or reality) as well as many things that are exaggerated and could never happen in real life (fantastic or fantasy). As you read the tall tale, think about what events are realistic and could happen and which events are fantasy and could not happen in real life. Perhaps you have heard stories of the giant lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, and his blue ox, Babe. Their stories were told in the logging camps of the American frontier. Well, cowboys also had their tall tale hero. He was called Pecos Bill. He traveled the American Southwest, using his superhuman strength to help tame the Wild West! Arizona Department of Education 4 Language Arts Grade 4 Week 2 Pecos Bill The story of Pecos Bill started when he was just a baby living with his family in East Texas. The family liked living far away from other people, so when neighbors moved in about 50 miles away, the family decided to move further west. They packed up their very large family (it’s said that Bill had fifteen or sixteen brothers and sisters) and started heading out. Bill was so young; he rode in the back of the wagon. The trip was going fine until they crossed the Pecos River in Texas. There was a big bump and Bill went tumbling out of the wagon! Bill was swept down the river and saved by a mother coyote. The coyote adopted Bill and raised him as one of her own cubs. That’s why Bill grew up thinking he was a coyote! He was real good at howling at the moon! In time, Bill grew up and met up with some cowboys. That’s when he learned he was a man, not a coyote. So he joined up with the cowboys. That’s how we learned about his superhuman strength. He had many adventures in the Southwest. They say he invented the rope lasso and rode a mountain lion. He also tamed the wildest, fastest, most beautiful horse in the world! One story tells how he wanted to start a ranch of his own. Since most of the land in Texas already belonged to someone else, Bill went further west. That took him to New Mexico. Now he liked what he saw and decided to stake out the whole state for his ranch and fenced in Arizona for a calf pasture! Well, it was known that Bill was so strong that he could ride just about anything. So it was no surprise that when a big cyclone came roaring down out of Kansas, Bill decided to ride it. It was a mighty big cyclone, but Bill jumped right on its back. The cyclone whipped this way and that, trying to throw Bill off. But Bill stayed on. It knocked down forests and mountains as it tore through Texas. The cyclone headed further west toward California, trying to shake Bill off. It worked so hard to get rid of Bill that it just rained itself out. It made so much water that it carved out the Grand Canyon! That’s how the Grand Canyon was made! The cyclone was just about washed-out by the time it reached California. There wasn’t much of a storm left. That’s where Bill finally fell off. They say he hit the ground so hard it sank below sea level. Folks today call that spot Death Valley.

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